Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center will hold its “Loving the Wild” event from May 15-17, 2026, in Hiawatha, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

HIAWATHA, Iowa — At a moment when many people feel disconnected — from the earth, from one
another, and from themselves — the Rev. Dr. Lisa Dahill is inviting participants to step into a different way
of seeing and living: a world alive with sacred presence.

Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, at 120 E. Boyson Road, Hiawatha, is hosting its 2026 Spirituality in the 21st Century event from May 15-17, 2026 to touch on that premise.

Learn more from Prairiewoods:

Prairiewoods is pleased to announce our 2026 Spirituality in the 21st Century event “Loving the Wild:
Earth Centering Our Spirituality,” led by Rev. Dr. Lisa Dahill, theologian, Lutheran pastor, and widely
respected voice at the intersection of Christian faith, ecology, and contemplative practice.

The event will take place on May 15 – 17 at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center in Hiawatha, Iowa and is open to all members of the community.

Drawing on Christian theology, mysticism, ecological science, and embodied spiritual practice, Dr.
Dahill invites participants to encounter the “more-than-human world”—land, creatures, wind, and
water—not as backdrop or resource, but as a living revelation of the Divine.

“Many of us have been taught, often unconsciously, that what is holy is separate from the world,” says
Dahill. “But the Christian tradition, at its heart, proclaims something far more radical: in Christ, God
and world are not two realities, but one.”

Lisa Dahill



Throughout the gathering, participants will be guided through reflection, discussion, and indoor and
outdoor contemplative practices that explore what it means to experience the world itself as sacred.

Rather than abstract ideas alone, the event emphasizes lived, embodied experience—grounding
spiritual insight in sensory connection, shared ritual, and attentive presence.

In a culture shaped by constant stimulation, screens, and urgency, Dr. Dahill’s work speaks directly to
widespread feelings of burnout, loneliness, and disorientation. By reconnecting with the deep kinship
that binds humans to all life, participants are invited to rediscover awe, intimacy, and hope—resources
essential not only for personal well-being, but for faithful action in the world.

“This is about learning to live in reality,” Dahill explains. “A reality that is astonishingly beautiful, deeply
interconnected, and alive with divine presence.”

The event will include opportunities for conversation and community, offering participants space to
reflect together, listen deeply, and carry practical spiritual practices back into daily life, ministry, and
leadership.
For more information and to register, see: www.prairiewoods.org/spirituality-in-the-21st-century

This multi-session event offers three ways to participate:

  1. Friday–Sunday Retreat: Immerse yourself fully in the land and community
  2. Saturday Day-Long Gathering: A rich, one-day in person experience
  3. Saturday Zoom Option: Join us from wherever you are
About Rev. Dr. Lisa Dahill
The Rev. Dr. Lisa E. Dahill is the Miriam Therese Winter
Professor of Transformative Leadership and Spirituality and
Director of the Center for Transformative Spirituality at
Hartford International University. A widely respected scholar,
teacher, and ordained Lutheran pastor, she is known for her
groundbreaking work at the intersection of spirituality,
ecology, ritual, and justice.
Dr. Dahill’s research and teaching invite us to reimagine
spiritual and contemplative practices through place-based
wisdom, interspecies relationships, and ecological awareness.
She is the author of Eco-Reformation: Grace and Hope for a
Planet in Peril, Reading from the Underside of Selfhood, and
is currently writing Jesus in the Earth: Rewilding Christian
Spirituality. Her work offers hope, depth, and practical
pathways for faithful living in a time of planetary change.

About Prairiewoods
Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center is a sacred space where people of all faiths and cultures
are invited to explore and nurture their relationships with the Source of all Being, Earth, Self and
Others, with an increasing awareness of the story of the Universe. Through this mission, Prairiewoods
focuses on the intersection of ecology, spirituality and holistic health to help you enhance your
relationships with your God, the world around you, yourself and your fellow humans. Prairiewoods has
served the Cedar Rapids community for over 30 years.